Composite armor systems for protecting vehicles and personnel against incoming ordnance have been in existence for decades. As used herein, the term “ordnance” includes and encompasses not only inert projectiles from small arms, but also explosive-carrying projectiles, fragments propelled from explosion of such projectiles, and debris resulting from impact of projectiles and fragments, as well as from blast and shock waves from explosions of projectiles and other explosive ordnance including, but not limited to, mines and improvised explosive devices (known commonly as “IEDs”). As used herein, the term “composite armor” is a broad term, which includes and encompasses an armor structure comprising a plurality of associated, often, but not necessarily, superimposed and laminated, components, the materials and configuration of which is intended to provide protection against ordnance equivalent or superior to a single component armor structure having greater mass.
A significant advantage of composite armor for personnel and vehicular protection, relatively light weight, is well known. For personnel composite armor, the light weight preserves mobility and agility of those wearing such armor and ensures wear of such armor for protracted periods of time will not tire or even exhaust the wearer. In the case of vehicular composite armor, the light weight not only helps to preserve fuel economy and minimize the stress of usage of a given vehicle, which may be “up-armored” after its initial production, but may also result in the ability to employ lighter weight structural and drive components in an armored vehicle designed from its inception to utilize composite armor.
Existing composite armor systems for vehicles have demonstrated some effectiveness in protection against ordnance. However, many composite armor structures are somewhat difficult to fabricate, require relatively exotic materials, and may not be susceptible to high-volume production without significant defects. In addition, the conventional use of composite armor in vehicular armor systems has been in fixed armor. In other words, a conventional composite armor system employing a composite armor panel or panels, is immovably secured to an exterior or to a frame of a vehicle. Thus, there is no capability of deploying such a system for selective protection of personnel from a situation-specific threat posed from a particular direction or directions.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to develop a lightweight, robust, yet straightforward-to-produce composite armor structure. It would also be advantageous to develop a selectively configurable armor system incorporating panels of composite armor.